Northern Ireland reported no deaths with Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the North's Department of Health said on Wednesday.
It brings the total number of fatalities recorded by the department to 2,121.
A further 88 people tested positive for the virus.
In the North’s hospitals 97 people were receiving treatment for Covid-19 on Wednesday, with 12 in intensive care.
So far 958,783 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Northern Ireland, including 790,860 first doses.
Health authorities in the North are to offer the under 30s an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine after the British medicines regulator said there were a possible link between the vaccine and “extremely rare” blood clots.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health said on Wednesday that those aged 18-29 who do not have an underlying medical condition will be offered an alternative vaccine “when this is available.”
This followed reports of “an extremely rare potential adverse event of blood clots and low platelet count following vaccination with the first dose of AstraZeneca – although this has not yet been established”, the department said, and was in line with the latest advice from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The AstraZeneca vaccine will continue to be used among people aged 30 and over in the North, as supplies permit, as well as for adults of all ages who have underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious illness or death from Covid-19.
Updated advice is to be issued to health professionals and the public in Northern Ireland, and the potential impact on the timescale of the vaccination programme will be assessed.
The department said both the MHRA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have “made clear that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks for the vast majority of adults.”
It said the JCVI had “similarly stressed that that the benefits of prompt vaccination with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine far outweigh the risk of any adverse event for individuals 30 years of age and over and for all those who have underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 disease.
“The expert advice to people aged 30 and over, and to adults of all ages who are vulnerable to Covid-19, is clear – get the AstraZeneca vaccine to protect yourself from the Covid-19 virus,” the department said.
Fines
Figures released by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on Wednesday showed police have issued more than 6,000 fixed penalty notices for breaches of the Covid-19 regulations since the start of the pandemic.
In addition, prohibition notices have been issued to 246 licensed premises and 1,595 private dwellings for breaching the rules on indoor gatherings.
A total of 59 people were fined £1,000 (€1,158) for failing to self-isolate, and five people have been fined £200 (€232) for failing to wear a face covering without a reasonable excuse.
Fines starting at £1,000, rising to a maximum of £10,000, have been issued to 84 businesses and/or premises for breaching the regulations.
Over Easter three people were arrested and 94 Covid-19 fines were issued by police following house parties in the Holyland area of south Belfast.
Four people were reported to the Public Prosecution Service and one community resolution notice was issued.
Easing of restrictions
Meanwhile, the North’s Executive will meet next week to discuss further easing of the lockdown restrictions in force in Northern Ireland.
Garden centres and car washes are due to reopen on April 12th, and click-and-collect services will resume for non-essential retail.
The First Minister, Arlene Foster, said she hopes to be able to publish dates for the reopening of non-essential retail and close contact services such as hairdressers and beauticians after ministers meet on April 15th.
Ms Foster said on Tuesday that with the number of new Covid-19 cases continuing to decrease and England moving ahead with the reopening of society, "it's very important that we also continue to relax the Covid regulations."
She said her party colleague, Minister for the Economy Diane Dodds, has put forward papers in regard to the lifting of restrictions around those sectors.
“It is important that we do give some certainty to people and I think that what you will see coming out of the next Executive are some timelines in relation to non-essential retail and close contact services,” she said.
